


Up On The Hill

by orochiis



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:22:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29613546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orochiis/pseuds/orochiis
Summary: Tired of the politics of Hyrule Castle, Zelda escapes for the afternoon into the arms of her hero.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Up On The Hill

Link knows better than anyone else how difficult it is to sneak into Hyrule Castle. He’s been sneaking in there for ten years or so now, and it’s become easier with experience. After the first time, when he got repeatedly thrown out and threatened with execution (a high charge for a nine-year-old), he’s figured out how to sidestep guards, which bushes he can crawl under, and most importantly when the guard changes are, leaving the path to the castle a little less difficult to get to.

If getting into the castle is that hard, Link doesn’t find it beyond reasonable doubt to assume that getting _out_ of the castle is even harder. When they meet outside the castle, Zelda is late every single time. But Link doesn’t mind – she has duties that he can barely imagine, while he works as a farm hand on Lon Lon Ranch. Why she’s even still interested in him is anyone’s guess, but it’s not something that Link will ever complain about.

He waits in the middle of Hyrule Field, at the top of a small hill, under a tree that has branches stretching to the ground, casting shadows that protect Link from the sun. His eyes watch the horizon, waiting for the familiar flash of pink.

The guards change while Zelda watches from her balcony. She’s memorised the patterns that they walk, but the repercussions for her getting caught are serious – a lock on the window, a lock on the door, and the promise of her freedom being gone forever. But for some reason, today the tensions in the palace seem to be higher – maybe they’ve caught wind of her plans.

None of the guards spot her on the balcony, too focussed on their marches. It would be easy to jump down and sneak her way through the garden if it weren’t for her dress – a thing that makes it near impossible to do such manoeuvres safely. Instead, she walks into the hallway, heels clicking on the tiled flooring as she searches for her only friend in the palace.

“Princess. Something the matter?”  
  
“Impa, do you think you could cause a distraction or something?”  
  
“Whatever for?”  
  
“Oh, you know…” She can hardly voice it aloud, even if Impa knows where she’s going and what she’s doing. Zelda wraps her hair around her finger, and Impa rolls her eyes.

“Fine. But stay safe. He may be able to protect you, but not on the way there and back.”

“Thank you, Impa.”

The Sheikah woman dashes away, and it doesn’t take long for Zelda to hear the ruckus that begins in the courtyard. With measured steps, she makes her way outside, lifting her skirts when she reaches the gardens and hurrying along the paths, thankfully guard free.

It’s easier once she gets outside of the gates. She bribed a guard here once – there’s frequently a horse waiting for her, and no one is going to question the princess leaving the castle on a white horse. She makes her way out of Market Town with ease, and leads her horse to the hill where she usually meets her hero. At the bottom is a signpost, where she ties up her steed, and hoists her skirts once again as she scales the hill.

Link brightens when he sees her, sitting upright, holding his arms out to her. She collapses at his side, resting her head on his shoulder, enveloped in the warmth of his embrace. Link’s smile reaches his eyes, a brilliant shade of blue that makes Zelda’s heart beat that little bit faster.

“I’m sick of us not getting to be together more often. I miss you!”

“Yeah,” Link mumbles.

“It’s so hard to meet up when I’m busy, and you’re working most of the time, and…”  
  
“Shh,” Link says, lifting her hand.

He doesn’t speak much, but he doesn’t need to, not when every full sentence he speaks sets her heart racing. Not when his touch consistently makes her face flush. They’ve held hands before, but each and every time he does, she has the same reaction. Even with her gloved hands, the warmth that he brings to her life always makes her feel a little better.

She shuffles around a bit, trying her best to get comfortable. Zelda ends up pulling out of his grip, instead lying on the grass with her head on his lap. This way, she can stare up at his face, admire how much he’s changed since the first time they’ve met. She thinks about that day often, so long ago now that they’ve cultivated hundreds of memories in between.

Link’s hands go to her hair, untangling the knots the wind caused while riding. He plucks flowers from the grass, tucking them into her hair. The sensation is strange, but not unpleasant, and Zelda finds herself closing her eyes and allowing Link to put hundreds of tiny flowers into her curls.

“Father keeps threatening me,” Zelda says absently, opening her eyes in time to see Link raise his eyebrows. “I’ve been caught sneaking out or trying to sneak out one too many times. He doesn’t like it.”  
  
“Really?”

“He’s been trying to marry me off for some time. There are a few nobles my age from just outside of the Kingdom that would strengthen ties across Hyrule… but none of them are kind, or gentle, or even seem to care about me. I feel… like on one hand, I’m too young to get married, and on the other hand, I’m… never going to be able to fall in love with anyone else.”

Link’s mouth falls slightly open at her words, his hands stilling in her hair. Her eyes flash away from his, into the branches of the tree above them and the sky beyond. It was a confession, of sorts, but Link has no idea how to deal with such a thing.

They’ve never voiced their feelings for one another before, but Malon makes fun of him for meeting a mystery girl out on the hill, and Impa is always willing to turn a blind eye when Link clambers into Zelda’s room. They’re always together, even if they’re too scared to speak that truth aloud.

Link doesn’t know anything of love, aside from it’s probably what he feels when he looks at Zelda.

“You could marry me,” he suggests quietly, and Zelda’s gaze snaps back to his.

“It’s been ten years,” she muses. “Since we met, I mean. Though I highly doubt that my father would be too happy about me marrying a boy from a ranch.”

She giggles, but her eyes betray doubt. Link flushes in embarrassment – maybe that was a stupid idea, something he never should have brought up. Zelda sits up straight, facing him, lifting his hands within her own, smiling at him with a softness in her expression that he’s never seen before.

“Did you mean it, Link?” She asks.

“Of course.”  
  
“Then I accept.”

Link grins. He remembers faintly something that Malon told him once – traditionally, Hylians exchange rings when they promise themselves to one another. Link plucks some more flowers, poking holes in them with his nails and threading their stems together. It’s only a few flowers, but he takes Zelda’s hand and slips the makeshift ring onto her ring finger, to an audible gasp from her.

She’s smiling too as she admires his handiwork. Maybe it’s unconventional for a princess, but that’s what she wants – Link, and only Link. It doesn’t matter that her mother had a grand proposal in the foyer of the castle with everyone there to see. It doesn’t matter that her grandmother became queen in public too, her grandfather dropping to his knees on a scheduled visit to Market Town.

Princess Zelda has the hero of time, and that’s all that matters to her. Her gloved hands go to his face, cradling the love of her life in her own two palms. Carefully, her lips meet his in a kiss, her eyes fluttering shut. His hands find their way to her waist, gently pulling her in. Their first kiss is special, soft, full of love, and Link finds himself enjoying holding Zelda so close to him.

She’s smiling when she pulls away, though it takes a moment for Link’s eyes to open, finding himself quickly missing the sensation. Zelda rests her forehead on his shoulder, taking a deep breath, calming herself down.

“The sun is setting. I should probably be heading back now, lest my father miss me at dinner and catch us out. Sorry to cut our meeting so short, Link.”

“It’s okay.”

She makes her way down the hill again, and Link moves to the edge to watch her as she mounts the white horse once again. She turns and waves, yelling her goodbyes to him. The horse gallops off into the distance, the princess on its back, and Link watches them go until they’re just a blob of pink and white on the horizon.

He turns away, finding the smile on his face not disappearing even long after Zelda has left him. When he gets back to the ranch no doubt he’ll face relentless teasing about where he was and what he was doing, but they’ll never know that the lady friend they so often joke about is Princess Zelda.

Zelda will face a similar inquisition when she makes it back to the castle. Impa will be there to greet her, and she’ll notice the ring made of tiny wildflowers on her finger, and roll her eyes. But there will be no malice in the gesture, and a kind word about being prepared for her father’s inevitable rage. But that will all come in time – for now, all that matters is that they have each other, now, and to come.


End file.
